Tag Archives: Instax

I’ve been considering the many positives of having my instax camera ever since I got it and especially since Hawaii, which was the first time that I traveled with it. Before I left I had done a ton of research on the camera but I didn’t really find tips and tricks that I was looking for to take my instax photos to the next level. I’ll be honest, this camera takes a lot of practice to get used to (especially with the permanent flash) but I think that it is one that is really fun and has a good outcome if the photographer knows how to use it. When I went on vacation there were a few things that I had to think about while carrying it on the plane such as needing a bit of extra space and asking to have it (and extra film) checked through security by hand, but other than those minor details, I can’t really think of any negatives.

So whether you’re traveling with instax or just picking up this camera for the first time, here are some tips and tricks to keep in mind.

Make sure the instax photo comes out well before shooting the next one. I think this was one of my biggest mistakes. With film that costs ~$1 / shot, it’s a real bummer when shots don’t come out as you had imagined. This happened to me when we were at Diamond Head and now I have no instax from it because I just quickly put them into my bag to develop.

Trick: instead of throwing these shots away, I used the over-exposed shots as supplements to my minibook by just writing on them with a non-smearable marker.

Prevent exposure to light as soon as the photo comes out by shielding the photo with your hand. A few of my photos have not fully developed or had reddening near the edges and I have read that sun exposure can be the problem – better to be safe than sorry!

Don’t try going macro unless you purchase a special attachment, the image will come out blurry e v e r y time. Shooting 2-4 feet from your subject will have the best results.

Aim the camera slightly lower so that your subject will be centered, since the viewfinder does not align perfectly.

Make sure that you are adjusting the setting on the top of your camera based on the amount of light in the photo. Ignoring this toggle can quickly take a good image to a useless one. Once you get the hang of it, you could try play around with to to purposefully over or under expose, though it is fairly complicated with this camera.

Shooting right at the sun or something reflecting the sun will result in a black spot in the photo.

Use the FIFO (First In First Out) method for your film. This means that the first film you purchased should be the first film that you use.

This should be a no brainer – keep your camera clean and dry. This meant that I had to forgo taking my camera to the beach on windy days.

Trick: I bought a wristlet strap for mine – best accessory purchase ever. I didn’t have to worry about setting the camera down or little hands dropping it.

Be willing and ready for people to comment on your “alien” camera. Ever since getting my DSLR, I have had MANY people ask if I could take their group picture. I think people just see the size of the camera and assume that I can take photographs. Well, this brought out a whole new ball game! I had tons of people asking questions and telling me how cool or how hipster I was. HA!

Since they print out instantly, they are perfect if you are scrapbooking or making a travel journal as you go.

If having another camera to carry around isn’t really your cup of tea, try out this awesome new printer that prints instax from your phone!

I have quickly found this camera to be irreplaceable when looking for quick prints and fun additions to any travel journal or scrapbook. Here are some more links if you are interested in reading more of my initial thoughts or about my travel journal.

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I just started this project and I’m already behind on posting about it. But don’t worry, I’m caught up in real life. And I also have a really cool instax photo album to put them all in! I’ll post more about that when it starts getting filled up.

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NOT PICTURED: Zebras.

Yep, there are exotic animals about 1 mile from my house. Too bad it was too dark by the time I took this picture.

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Apparently, I have this really cool habit of taking pictures at sunset, which for this camera means that part of it is dark. In person, it turns out alright but when I photograph it for my blog posts, it ends up looking like it has no detail. I took this picture a few weeks ago on one of the back roads by my house, I LOVED the sunset that night, so I took a drive.

4/52This is easily one of my favorite photos that I have taken using this camera. I really like passenger seat rear view mirror shots with the sunset in the background. Are you noticing a trend?

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A lot has changed since this post just a year ago. I’ve graduated, which of course means that school isn’t in session on my birthday this year (because I’ve always had school on my birthday) and instead I now have a big girl job. It kind of sounds terrible, but I’m over the moon thankful for it. Also, this year, I celebrated with my FIANCÉ, not my boyfriend. (Eeee!)

To say that this next year is going to be one of the best of my life, is probably an understatement but I also know that it will probably also be the fastest. So, instead of taking just one day to celebrate my birthday, we celebrated allllll week long.

On Tuesday, Emilia took me out to dinner and drinks at Coley’s! The food was amazing and it is always good to catch up with her! On Wednesday, Kevin and I celebrated at Flatbranch and The Roof. It was so much fun! The first picture is from the gift he bought me and I cannot wait to share more about that here whenever I get it up and running!

On Thursday, Eric made me steak, twice baked potatoes and salad. Then we went out for ice cream and to a record shop!

We celebrated my birthday at home and this picture of me with my new camera mug is the only picture that I have!

Finally, we have 5 days until the first Mizzou game of the season and they are making some finishing touches to the stadium including this awesome sign.

Until my 24th birthday, my plan is to take 1 instax picture a week and post about it both here and on my instagram. Play along using the hashtag #52instax

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Before leaving for vacation, I thought a lot about how I wanted to save my memories from the trip. I have done various styles of mini books and albums over the past couple years and I knew that I wanted this to be more than just a spread in Project Life. When I vacationed to California, I did an album using project life cards where I took them with me and completed them throughout the trip. I decided that it was just too much and really wanted to just take photos and compile everything once I got home. I have seen a lot of different bloggers take a small pack of supplies but for this trip I didn’t think I would have that kind of down time. I’m trying to use up my stash, so before I left I went through and picked a variety of paper and embellishments that coordinated so that I could keep it in mind when photographing. So, here is what I came up with:I am always a fan of handwriting as opposed to type for these kind of books even though I could have written a little nicer and a little straighter!This was my first airplane ride being over 21, so I had to throw in the the wine picture. Definitely a game changer for the 8 hr flight. I saved boarding passes and the “heavy” tag that the airlines tied to the bag!This was the first trip that I took my instax camera on and needless to say, I LOVED it. Not only was it just awesome to have pictures immediately, but it was a great conversation piece. I could not believe how many people stopped me or mentioned it!I grabbed a couple maps and circled/starred some of the places that we went in town. Good stuff, this map is particularly cool.Just a little info about our hike…not as family friendly as we thought. I actually still have a bruise from falling! HA!I added this very plain envelope to hold all of the memorabilia that didn’t have a spot in the book. This way it is all in one place if I ever want to look at it. Probably my favorite page – I love how the paper bag gives it texture and sticks out on the top and bottom.I found this printable from AnnMarieLoves and thought it would be the perfect thing to add. It’s like journaling with a script, which makes things a lot easier.We did some family pictures on the beach and I shared a little bit of why I always take pictures of my feet.Cinnamon roll for a cinnamon girl. It’s weird that these two things are complete unrelated, but I think they are cool together.Instead of throwing away instax where I’ve accidentally overexposed, I just grabbed a Slick Writer and wrote a quote on there.

I really love how this mini book turned out! I’ve already started on a few more so that I can use up the rest of my stash!

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We relaxed on the beach.
We hiked.
We watched the sunrise.
We went to a Luau.
We watched the sunset.
We ate.
We sampled chocolate at the Manoa Chocolate Factory.
We enjoyed family time and took a couple family pictures.
We flew home.
These few pictures hardly do justice to the beauty of the island. Of course we did more fun things – my favorite was stand up paddle-boarding. I came within five feet of a sea turtle! We also walked up and down the beach a ton which gave us a little more room to try fresh fish tacos, Mai Tais and that huge cinnamon roll. I enjoyed taking tons of pictures with all of my cameras and helping my sweet little cousin paste a few instax into her scrapbook that she brought along. This is the good stuff.

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My name is Jacqueline, thanks for stopping by my blog! I enjoy sunshine, laughter, and cuddling up with a good book as well as photography, writing, and everything DIY. This is my little space on the internet to share my life and every day joy.

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